Safari Tart - African Safari Lodge Reviews | Independent Reviews of African Safari Lodges

Halo Gaia Liquid Body Retreat in Mozambique

by Carrie on Mar 14, 2014 • No Comments

Enter the Liquid Body and reconnect with your deep sensuality in the company of wild dolphins. This weekend workshop on the coast of southern Mozambique is facilitated through Halo Gaia by the mermaid Courtney Ward (when you read my blog post Dancing With Dolphins you’ll know what I mean) and...

Zambezi Queen luxury houseboat on the Chobe

by Carrie on Mar 14, 2014 • No Comments

The Zambezi Queen is a 5-star triple-decker houseboat providing possibly the best way to go on safari that has been invented! She floats in a watery no-man’s land with Namibia on one bank and Botswana’s Chobe National Park on the other. With an estimated 160,000 elephant in Chobe (approximately half the world’s...

Nelson Mandela

Farewell Nelson Mandela

by Carrie on Dec 6, 2013 • No Comments

It is with the greatest sorrow in my heart that I pay tribute to Nelson Mandela – a man I was lucky enough to meet and in whose light I bathed for a few moments; i felt his embrace, i kissed his lips. I felt his strength and compassion and...

Mozambique / Safari snippets

How to fell a baobab tree, Mozambique

by Carrie on Nov 27, 2013 • No Comments

Tragic that this ancient baobab should be felled and at what point did it give way….look closely:

Animal Antics / Eastern Cape / South Africa

Samara Cheetah Cub rescued

by Carrie on Jul 29, 2013 • No Comments

Friday the 14th June 2013: a tiny little cheetah cub was born to Bellini, one of the wild cheetah’s at Samara. None of her previous cubs have survived. She hid the cub under a bush...

Accommodation/Lodges / Animal Antics / Kenya

Breakfast with Giraffe

by Carrie on Jul 9, 2013 • No Comments

Anyone for breakfast with giraffe? It’s a daily occurrence at Giraffe Manor outside Nairobi in Kenya. There you are in your bedroom and next thing a giraffe’s face is at your window. At breakfast they reach in for some pellets from the breakfast table. I remember opening the front door...

Safari snippets

Camping & Glamping is big in 2013

by Carrie on Feb 21, 2013 • 2 Comments

Are you a Camper or Glamper? The former is you, your tent and whatever you bring along to make things more comfortable. The latter is you pretending you’re camping but really someone else has pitched the tent for you (or it is semi-permanent luxury room that happens to have canvas...

Safari snippets

Top 5 weird, wonderful, and just plain kooky hotel requests in 2012

by Carrie on Jan 21, 2013 • No Comments

This is a the Top 5 strangest requests made on Protea Hotel’s staff in 2012. A burly guest insisted on being sung to as it was the only sure cure for his insomnia. It worked! A Cape Town GM had to go out at 8pm in search of goldfish for...

Animal Antics / Safari snippets

Footprint Quiz

by Carrie on Sep 28, 2012 • No Comments

Who made this print in the wet sand at Phinda Private Game Reserve in KZN? That’s what the Head Ranger at Forest Lodge asked me after he heard I had been to more than 200 safari lodges? He reckoned I must have been on enough game drives to be able...

Animal Antics / Kenya / Masai Mara

Hippo saves zebra & wildbeest from drowning

by Carrie on May 18, 2012 • No Comments

Accommodation/Lodges / South Luangwa / Zambia

Kaingo Camp, South Luangwa, Zambia

by Carrie on Apr 16, 2012 • 1 Comment

I have been invited to Shenton Safaris camps in the wild South Luangwa Valley of Zambia and these pics make me want to pack my bag right now! This is real wild Africa, much more earthy and spontaneous than a safari in South Africa with lots of animal thrills to...

Accommodation/Lodges / Malawi

Mumbo Island ranked in Top 100 Hotels in World – read what I think…

by Carrie on Mar 30, 2012 • 1 Comment

Is Mumbo Island one of my Top 100 places to go in the world…..YES absolutely! People often ask me where is the best place I have been and when reeling off my personal favourites Mumbo Island is...

Accommodation/Lodges / Animal Antics / Malawi / Safari snippets / South Africa

Safari pics that make you want to be there!

by Carrie on Mar 30, 2012 • No Comments

When I look at these photographs, I want to be there right now – don’t you? See link on each photo to find out where it is.

Accommodation/Lodges / Eastern Cape / South Africa

Sibuya Game Lodge, nr Port Elizabeth

by Carrie on Jan 26, 2012 • 2 Comments

This privately owned reserve up the Kariega River from Kenton-on-Sea in the Eastern Cape is the Garden of Eden. It has all the components of nature that make you want to weep at its beauty, marvel at the perfect animal specimens all fat and glossy coats, and sink into the sophoric rhythm...

Accommodation/Lodges / Botswana / Okavango Delta / Safari snippets

Abu Camp, Okavango – new baby elephant

by Carrie on Dec 22, 2011 • 2 Comments

IT’S A GIRL! Abu Camp, best known as one of the first elephant back riding safari lodges, deep in the Okavango Delta, has had a new arrival. Shireni, one of the Camp’s leading matriach’s, gave birth to her third living calf at ten in the evening on 17 December 2011. Measuring approximately 90cm...

Accommodation/Lodges / South Africa / Western Cape

India House, Bains Kloof Pass, nr Cape Town

by Carrie on Apr 12, 2011 • No Comments

I love it when I find a real gem of a place when I least expect it. That is what happened at India House. I went to assess Bastiaanskloof for star grading and found that part of their accommodation was a divine villa called India House in the middle of...

Accommodation/Lodges / Uganda

UGANDA; Gorillas, Chimps & tree-climbing Lions

by Carrie on Feb 4, 2011 • 3 Comments

Uganda doesn’t get talked about that much when it comes to safari and most people don’t even know it’s got much more than gorillas. In a country the size of UK, there’s so much more……. including: a whopping 1000 species...

Accommodation/Lodges / Boats / Mozambique

Dancing With Dolphins in Mozambique

by Carrie on Aug 5, 2010 • No Comments

Courtney Ward has been “dancing with dolphins” for ten years in the warm waters of southern Mozambique at Ponta Malongane. People say she is part dolphin and you can believe it when you see her gliding through the water like a mermaid with her mono-fin. Dolphins crowd around her...

Accommodation/Lodges / Animal Antics / Madikwe / South Africa

Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge

by Carrie on Feb 2, 2010 • 3 Comments

Guests at Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge had a surprise visit from an opportunistic elephant, who simply couldn’t resist the cool, crystal clear, swimming pool water on a hot spring day in Madikwe Game Reserve. Photographed by 18 year old Tom Rudolphie of The Netherlands. Buffalo Ridge is a community...

Accommodation/Lodges / Eastern Cape / South Africa

Samara Private Game Reserve

by Carrie on Jan 8, 2010 • 1 Comment

I have been going on safari in Africa every year for 15 years, yet it was at Samara Private Game Reserve, in the middle of nowhere in the Graaff-Reinet Karoo, that I found the possibility of two elements of a safari that had so far eluded me; a yoga mat and...

Accommodation/Lodges / South Africa / Western Cape

Southern Africa Yoga Safaris

by Carrie on Oct 20, 2009 • 5 Comments

In a hidden location amongst giant sandstone rocks on the West Coast of South Africa near Eland’s Bay, Southern African Yoga Safaris makes use of a rocky retreat for a getaway with a difference. While doing your ‘Salute to the Sun’ or Tree Posture, you stare out and may meet...

Animal Antics

Leopard vs Mouse

by Carrie on Oct 16, 2009 • 2 Comments

These extraordinary leopard pictures were captured by photography student Casey Gutteridge at the Santago Rare Leopard Project in Hertfordshire. Copyright of http://solentnews.biz/. Seemingly unaware of the beast, the mouse diced with death when it tucked into the leopard’s lunch. The mischievous rodent grabbed at scraps of meat thrown into the...

Accommodation/Lodges / Kruger region / Madikwe / Waterberg

Eco-friendly Safaris

by Carrie on Oct 16, 2009 • No Comments

Here’s some news about eco-friendly safari camps and ‘green’ safari lodges that go the extra mile take care of the environment: Garonga Safari Camp Garonga Safari Camp in the Makalali Reserve (not too far from Kruger National Park) ensures that all rubbish is separated and foodstuffs are used for warthogs...

Accommodation/Lodges / Animal Antics / Madikwe / South Africa

Tuningi Safari Lodge

by Carrie on Sep 2, 2009 • 2 Comments

Look who joined the afternoon picnic at Tuningi Safari lodge! These curious young lions came to investigate as guests from Tuningi Safari Lodge enjoyed their sundowner game drive drinks & snacks in the Madikwe Game Reserve.

Accommodation/Lodges / South Africa / Western Cape

Bushman’s Kloof Wilderness Reserve

by Carrie on Jul 15, 2009 • 1 Comment

‘Number One Hotel in the World’ according to 2009 US Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards reader’s survey. What an accolade! This 5-star wilderness resort in the foothills of the Cederberg Mountains is one of my favourite places with a landscape like no other only 270km from Cape Town.

Accommodation/Lodges / South Africa / Western Cape

Garden Route Game Lodge

by Carrie on Jun 23, 2009 • No Comments

I was really impressed with Garden Route Game Lodge. It is of course ‘soft safari’, as are all the game reserves in the Western Cape. It is because this populated region doesn’t have tracts of spare land the size of small European countries - like Kruger Park - in which the largest...

Animal Antics / Kenya

Tortoise Adopts Hippo

by Carrie on Jun 23, 2009 • No Comments

When this baby hippo losts its mother, it found the next best thing, a giant tortoise. Nicknamed Owen, weighing around 300 kg (650 pounds), this little hippo was swept down the Sabaki River to the Indian Ocean, then washed back ashore by tsunami waves that struck the Kenyan coast on...

Accommodation/Lodges / Kruger region / South Africa

Singita Lebombo Safari Lodge

by Carrie on Jan 12, 2009 • 2 Comments

I wouldn’t mind going to Heaven if it was like Singita Lebombo. I have been here once before (Lebombo, not Heaven) but this visit had a more profound effect on me. The subtle change in décor, from touches of lime green and grey amongst a sea of white, to a...

Safari snippets

Safari Tart meets Tutu & Mandela

by Carrie on Dec 3, 2008 • No Comments

I arrived in Africa from London in 1995 and in that time I’ve been lucky enough to meet two great icons of world history; Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Both are my heroes whom I hold in the very highest regard above all others. It was never my goal to meet them, I...

Accommodation/Lodges / Zambia

Elephants march through Mfuwe Lodge

by Carrie on Oct 29, 2008 • 1 Comment

The 18-room Mfuwe Lodge has a large reception area particularly suited to wandering elephants. Their favourite mango trees are just on the other side of the building and they see no reason why they shouldn’t take the direct route straight through the lodge!

Accommodation/Lodges / Madikwe / South Africa

Makanyane Safari Lodge

by Carrie on Oct 24, 2008 • No Comments

My first introduction to Makanyane Safari Lodge was a face to face meeting with an elephant at the door of my cottage. “I’ll just go and shoo him away, said the lodge manager, Garth Kew. So he walked towards said elephant and shouted “Shoo!” Elephant ignored him, so Garth ran...

Animal Antics

Lion Eats Car

by Carrie on Sep 2, 2008 • 1 Comment

If you ever thought lions look like large pussy cats, take a look at these photos taken by a holidaymaker in the Krugersdorp area of South Africa.

Accommodation/Lodges / Kruger region / South Africa

Lion Sands Ivory Lodge

by Carrie on May 20, 2008 • 1 Comment

You may think that a safari lodge decorated in no other colours than black and white (and variations from rich creams to deep brown), could be monotone. But it’s not. Lion Sands Ivory Lodge in the Lion Sands Private Game Reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park, uses shades and textures...

Accommodation/Lodges / Namibia

Twyfelfontein Country Lodge & Opuwo Country Hotel

by Carrie on May 8, 2008 • No Comments

Damaraland, Namibia Not many places make your jaw drop in amazement, or make you want to utter a lazily drawn-out expletive, because no other suitable word comes to mind. But Twyfelfontein Country Lodge did just that. This immense thatched lodge, in the heart of red-rock country in the middle of...

Accommodation/Lodges / Kruger region / South Africa

Royal Malewane, Thornybush Reserve

by Carrie on May 5, 2008 • No Comments

When people mention Royal Malewane, they use the kind of hushed tones often reserved for someone held in high regard. This is because Royal Malewane seems to have effortlessly created a safari lodge at the pinnacle of taste, within the boundaries of timeless, classic elegance. Simply put, it epitomizes all...

Accommodation/Lodges / Boats / Kariba / Zimbabwe

Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

by Carrie on May 5, 2008 • 3 Comments

“Can you come to Lake Kariba on Thursday for a week?”, said a friendly voice. “I know it’s Monday today but I have space for one more person on my houseboat going down the length of Lake Kariba.” My initial reaction was that I couldn’t get organised in three days,...

Accommodation/Lodges / Kafue / Zambia

Hippo Lodge, Kafue National Park, Zambia – The Cherry on the Safari Cake

by Carrie on Mar 31, 2008 • 3 Comments

Just when I thought life on safari couldn’t get any better, it did. It was my birthday and I was sitting in a bubbling hot spring on the edge of the Kafue River in Zambia. Fireflies were dancing around my head and a fellow journalist on this press trip...

Plains Camp, Platforms Sleepout and Rhino Post Lodge: walking & 4x4

Accommodation/Lodges / Kruger region / South Africa

Plains Camp, Platforms Sleepout and Rhino Post Lodge: walking & 4×4

by Carrie on Mar 15, 2008 • No Comments

On a private concession inside Kruger National Park…. Rhino Walking Safaris have, in my opinion, got it right. They have a variety of safari experiences in their three accommodation options; Rhino Post Lodge, Plains Camp and Platforms – a multi-level large wooden sleepout platform in the middle of nowhere, where...

Accommodation/Lodges / Botswana / Okavango Delta

Horseriding in Okavango Delta

by Carrie on Mar 15, 2008 • 2 Comments

This is no ordinary horse ride! Novice riders need not apply; experience and a high level of in-the-saddle competence is a pre-requisite for this adventure with African Horseback Safaris. You have to handle horses that are fit and raring-to-go, as well possible encounters with big game of the Okavango Delta like...

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Safari snippets

Nightjar Adventurer of the Year 2014 – time to vote

by Carrie on Apr 15, 2014 • No Comments

There are people out there that set themselves the most extraordinary challenges to prove that it can be done and often to raise awareness of good causes. Take a look at The Nightjar Travel website and their 2014 Adventurer of the Year and cast your vote now. It’s hard to choose as each of the eight individuals or teams have managed...

Safari snippets / Zambia

Zambian Photographic Safaris with David Rogers

by Carrie on Jan 29, 2014 • No Comments

If you’re a keen photographer, you can’t do better than to go on one of David Rogers Photographic Safaris . Why? Because you’ll come back with an enviable collection of photos after the safari of a lifetime. It makes such a difference to go on a game drive or walk with a real purpose and...

Animal Antics / Safari snippets

Elephants – why I’m scared of them

by Carrie on Jan 24, 2014 • No Comments

“I’m not scared of lions, I’m scared of elephants. One killed my father,” said my safari walking guide who has lived his whole life in a village inside Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Here are a few pictures why he’s right….. If any of the photos are yours and you wish me to credit you or remove...

Safari snippets

World Rhino Day 22 Sept – Tweet #iam4rhinos

by Carrie on Sep 21, 2013 • No Comments

World Rhino Day and 618 rhinos have been killed in South Africa so far this year. Tweet #iam4rhinos and join the attempt to reach a million tweets in support of rhinos.

Safari snippets

Kruger’s Skukuza Airport Re-opening for flights from 1 March 2014

by Carrie on Aug 28, 2013 • No Comments

I love the tiny Skukuza Airport in Kruger National Park; you leave bustling Johannesburg (and soon direct from Cape Town) and arrive in the African bush ready to go on a game drive, or to take another hop in a little plane to your private game lodge perhaps 15 minutes by air. I can’t remember...

Animal Antics

Elephant straddles car

by Carrie on Aug 12, 2013 • No Comments

I’m not sure where or when this happened – I saw it on Facebook – but it puts the size of an elephant into perspective. Take a look at another of our Animal Antics blog post of an enormous elephant trashing a campsite and squashing a car with a rooftop tent. The most scary moments...

Accommodation/Lodges / South Africa / Western Cape

Review of Aquila Private Game Reserve nr Cape Town

by Carrie on Aug 7, 2013 • No Comments

Only 2-hours drive from Cape Town, once you go through the gates of Aquila you are transported into a wonderful world of their own making – like stepping into a safari film set, which is very real for the time you are in it. If you go in Spring (August/Sept ) you may be lucky...

Animal Antics

Can you spot the leopard?

by Carrie on Aug 5, 2013 • 3 Comments

There REALLY is a leopard in this picture – can you see it? Scroll down for the answer once you’ve tried really hard. Did you know….. a leopard’s spots form a unique pattern, something like a fingerprint leopards can pull dead prey weighing up to 50kg up into a tree, away from predators...

Accommodation/Lodges / Kenya / Masai Mara

New Mara Plains Camp, Kenya

by Carrie on Jul 29, 2013 • No Comments

July 2013 the new Mara Plains Camp in the portfolio of Great Plains Conservation became the latest in bespoke safari accommodation and experiences. The brand new Mara Plains Camp adopts many of the values and low impact design ethics of their Botswana Zarafa Camp, but with an East Africa twist. It is also one of the...

Safari snippets

HAPPY 95th BIRTHDAY MADIBA: How I got to kiss Mandela

by Carrie on Jul 18, 2013 • No Comments

Happy 95th Birthday to the most precious man on earth! “Give us a kiss!” I whispered in his ear – and he did! It was 1999 – Mandela was a sprightly 81. I was campaigning to raise funds for a poor school near Cape Town that received no state money because it was built on...

Safari snippets / South Africa / Waterberg

Save the Waterberg Rhino black-tie event at Ant’s Nest

by Carrie on Jul 15, 2013 • No Comments

KZN / Safari snippets / South Africa

Phinda Game Reserve

by Carrie on Jun 11, 2013 • No Comments

Phinda reaches the pinnacle of excellence when it comes to guiding. The &Beyond company have always considered this a priority (also under its previous name CCAfrica) and I can’t fault it. Good guiding is so often lacking, so it’s such a pleasure to get guides that not only know their stuff (anyone can regurgitate facts)...

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